Elizabeth Sung, the veteran film and TV actress who appeared in the soap The Young and the Restless, has died. She was 63.
Sung’s died on Tuesday according to Soaps.com, although no cause of death was given.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Sung studied ballet at a young age before coming to America to study dance at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York. After graduation, Sung danced for an American company before transitioning to television acting.
She is perhaps best known for her role in CBS’ long-running soap The Young and the Restless. Sung played restaurant owner Luan Volien from 1994 to 1996. Her other notable TV credits include Hawaii Five-0, The Sopranos, Bones, Curb Your Enthusiasm among many others.
Sung’s most memorable film roles included Wayne Wang’s critically praised drama The Joy Luck Club as well as playing the part of Mrs. Sakamoto in Rob Marshall’s big-screen adaptation of the worldwide best-seller Memoirs of a Geisha. Her most recent film credits have tended to be in Asian-American comedies including Anita Ho, Front Cover and Vivian Bang’s White Rabbit that screened at the Sundance Festival this year.
Politically active, Sung devoted her time to AIDS charities (her older brother Philip, a fashion designer, died of the disease in 1985) as well as groups that promoted gender and racial diversity in the entertainment industry. In 2016, Sung was one of 683 new members to join The Academy as part of a push to broaden the diversity and gender mix of the body.
Sung is survived by her husband, screenwriter Peter Tulipan.
